Summary
The Kremlin has said it is willing to continue talks with the United States over European security, but is “not optimistic” about their prospects, after Washington and Nato allies again rejected a key part of Russia’s proposed new order for post cold-war security.
Russian president Vladimir Putin’s chief spokesman Dmitry Peskov said “there isn’t much reason to be optimistic” after the US and Nato rejected Moscow’s demands for a veto on Ukraine’s membership in a co-ordinated response on Wednesday.
Moscow needed time to analyse the US document and would not “rush into assessments” Peskov added.
Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s main concern - the potential for Ukraine to join Nato - had not been addressed, but there was hope “for the start of a serious conversation on secondary issues”.
“There is no positive response in this document on the main issue,” he said.
Meanwhile, one of Lavrov’s spokespeople appeared to rule out war with Ukraine, in comments that led to a jump in the value of the Russian rouble, as investors gained confidence conflict could be avoided.
“We have already repeatedly stated that our country does not intend to attack anyone. We consider even the thought of a war between our people to be unacceptable,” said Alexei Zaitsev, a spokesman for the foreign ministry.
The focus turns again to Russian president Vladimir Putin, who is yet to voice his response and is being briefed on the document.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy gave an upbeat assessment on the latest diplomatic manoeuvres, noting that his diplomats would meet counterparts from Russia, Germany and France next month in Berlin.
Ukraine has been seeking to downplay some reports of an imminent mass attack by Russia. One of Zelenskiy’s aides told Reuters the borderline “hysteria” about a Russian attack was hindering Kyiv’s attempts to borrow on international capital markets.
On a visit to Copenhagen, seeking to marshal support from Nato member Denmark, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dymytro Kuleba gave his approval of the US response to Russia and called for a unified response from the west on economic sanctions.
You can read my summary of the day’s events here: Russia remains open but ‘not optimistic’ over Ukraine talks
That’s all for today. Thank you for following the Ukraine liveblog.
Oil prices steadied on Thursday, after Brent crude earlier hit a seven-year high above $90 a barrel, Reuters reports.
Russia is the world’s second-largest oil producer, prompting fears of disruption of energy supplies to Europe, although concerns are more focused on natural gas.
“The market is very erratic on headlines on the Russia-Ukraine situation,” said Phil Flynn, senior analyst at Price Futures Group. “There’s uncertainty about what’s going to happen.”
Oil prices surged on Wednesday amid the ongoing stalemate over European security between Russia and the west, but investors are also reacting to concerns about supply from the United Arab Emirates.
